10 fun facts about kiwi birds – YouTube Dictation Transcript & Vocabulary

1.kiwis are pear-shaped nocturnal flightless birds found only in New Zealand these shy birds are long-lived possibly reaching up to 50 years old in the wild there are five species of kiwi the largest is the brown kiwi at 20 to 25 inches tall and weighing 3 to 10 pounds the smallest is the little spotted kiwi which is only 14 to 18 inches tall and weighs 2 to 4 pounds at about the size of a chicken kiwi are the smallest of the ratites a group of birds that includes ostriches risks emus and cassowaries here at legendary nature we count down the top 10 facts about kiwi birds remember if you enjoy this video please be sure to subscribe number one kiwis dig burrows rather than building nests the Kiwi makes its home in Burrows in the forest floor which it digs out with its strong toes and claws once a kiwi is an adult it typically finds a territory and spends the rest of its life in that area kiwi are protective of their territories so they Patrol their borders every night and leave droppings at the boundaries to tell other kiwi that this area is taken number two they're named after a sound they make kiwi make a shrieky half Scream half whistle call that sounds like kiwi kiwi this sound helps them keep track of each other at night when they're active kiwi can also grunt snort snuffle and hiss three kiwi have excellent hearing the kiwi's ears are so well developed that they can easily be seen through its head feathers 4

2.kiwi can't fly its wings are vestigial and so small that they are invisible onto the kiwi's feathers the wings have a cat-like claw at the tip almost like bat wings but it is non-functional like other flightless birds kiwi lack a special rich on the sternum called a keel and other birds the flag mussels are anchored to the keel 5

3.they have fluffy hair like feathers kiwi plumage consists of extremely soft long loose feathers that feel more like the fur of a mammal than the feathers of a bird kiwi also have modified feathers that serve as whiskers on their faces and around the base of their beaks they may use these bristles like cats do to feel around in the dark 6

4.kiwi don't have hollow bones most flying birds have hollow bones to minimize weight and make flight possible but kiwi bones are filled with marrow like those of mammals as they do not fly 7

5.kiwi have powerful legs they lack Tails but have strong muscular legs that make up nearly a third of their body weight they can run quickly and use their legs and claws during fights on each foot kiwi have three forward-facing toes and one backward facing toe their fleshy foot paths allow them to walk almost silently through the forest 8